American Red Cross Hosts "CPR Saturday" Sept. 13

CPR Saturday gives us an opportunity to celebrate National Preparedness Month by giving Mohawk Valley residents free training that could save a loved one’s life.

Posted September 05, 2014, New Hartford, NY

The American Red Cross of the Mohawk Valley will host “CPR Saturday” on Sept. 13, when it celebrates National Preparedness Month by offering free, hands-only CPR training from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Sangertown Square in New Hartford.

The training will teach participants when and how to perform hands-only CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Participants of all ages are welcome. The instructor will be an American Red Cross-certified CPR instructor.

“CPR Saturday gives us an opportunity to celebrate National Preparedness Month by giving Mohawk Valley residents free training that could save a loved one’s life,” said Julie Darling, Community Executive of the American Red Cross Mohawk Valley Chapter. “Research has shown that continuous hands-only CPR can be effective in caring for a person with no signs of life when a rescuer is unable, untrained or unwilling to perform full CPR.”

Red Cross staff and volunteers at Sangertown Square will also provide visitors with information on other Red Cross health-and-safety courses and how families can create a disaster plan for their households that will keep them safe during all emergencies.

A certificate will not be issued for the hands-only CPR training. The Red Cross recommends training in full CPR for people who are workplace responders; live or play around water or own a pool or hot tub; have children or work with children; or have a job-related duty to respond.

The Red Cross of the Mohawk Valley is also offering these safety tips for Preparedness Month:

MAKE A PLAN Everyone in the household should help put the emergency plan together so they know what they should do if an incident occurs. Because everyone may not be together at home when a disaster happens, the plan should include ways to contact one another and two places to meet – one near the home in case of a sudden emergency like a fire, and one outside the neighborhood in case circumstances prevent people from returning home. The plan should also identify an emergency contact person from outside the area in case local telephone lines are overloaded or out of service.

Any emergency plan should also include decisions about where to go if ordered to evacuate and what route to take to get there. It’s a good idea to include alternate routes in case roads are closed. Don’t forget family pets. Make sure to include plans for them such as pet-friendly hotels and animal shelters along the evacuation route.

HOME FIRES The most common threat people face across the country is a fire in their home. National Preparedness Month is a good time to develop a fire escape plan and practice it with everyone in the household. When developing the plan, walk through the home and look at all exits and possible escape routes, including windows. List two ways to get out of every room in case fire blocks one of the paths. Pick a place to meet outside, a safe distance away and – no matter the circumstances – stay out of the home until fire officials say it is okay to go back inside. All households should practice their plan at least twice a year.

People should also install smoke alarms on every level of their home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. They should test the alarms monthly, replace the batteries at least once a year and replace them every ten years.

RED CROSS APPS The Red Cross has developed mobile apps that provide information on what to do before, during and after emergencies, including a “Make a Plan” feature on how to develop an emergency plan. The free apps can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross.

For more information on how to prepare for all types of emergencies, click here or call the American Red Cross of the Mohawk Valley at (315) 733-4666.